Mehra keeps the open defecation problem so stinking real that you don't want this to be dinner table conversation. But he also brings warmth into the community squat.

Updated Mar 14,2019, 10:45 AM IST

Would this qualify as a trio of toilet-driven films? After the much-noticed Akshay Kumar-starrer Toilet Ek Prem Katha and a totally-unnoticed one called Halkaa in 2018,writer-director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra films another view of the same theme.

Mehra keeps the open defecation problem so stinking real that you don't want this to be dinner table conversation.

But he also brings warmth into the community squat.

"We can't even crap in peace," comments a senior when headlights disrupt the women who've huddled together to answer nature's call. While kids and men go by the water pipes and railway tracks in daylight, women need to wait until it's dark. For slum dwellers, it's a ritual that adds to their bonds.

Mehra also builds a very cosy mother-son equation between single woman Sargam and her son Kanhu. They're great buddies and without hammering the point on the head, there exists communal harmony, camaraderie and a general non-judgmental approach to life in those otherwise wretched slums.

And so, whenSargam is brutally violated on her way home after one of those nocturnal squats, the anger is put into words with, "Women can't even take a dump safely."

It's a life-changing situation for little Kanhu who wants to ensure just that: that his mother can go and do it with ever feeling unsafe. To achieve this, the boy reaches out to the Prime Minister to build his mother a toilet.

To round it off is the decent Pappu who's obviously interested in Sargam even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Kanhu. There's an extremely sensitive touch when Pappu takes Sargam to the medical centre to be tested for STD after the rape, an outing that draws her closer to him.

While dignity and women's safety drive the need for toilets, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra makes pertinent social points all along, drawing empathy for those who lack this basic necessity.

The film belongs to sensuous Anjali Patil with the big expressive eyes, although she seems a tad too well groomed for her surroundings. Om Kanojiya as perky but sensitive Kanhu is cheekily endearing. The realistic casting by Mukesh Chhabra adds much to the film.

Where Mehra goes a bit off track is in the pace of his narration which slumps at points and in bringing in characters like Eva who really do nothing to solve such a pressing problem.

Verdict: Although it's small in budget and perhaps limited in its appeal, it is an important film that makes a deep impact on the viewer.

Disclaimer: We are proud that LehrenTV reviewer Bharathi S Pradhan has been appointed an advisory member of the prestigious CBFC. However, her reviews reflect her personal appraisal of a film and do not in any way speak on behalf of the Censor Board.